Stand Your Ground
by Jackie Avocado
Summary: Stubborn to a fault and never giving up in the face of impossible odds. All great traits of your average Shōnen protagonist. Now, let's put these traits into a semi-insane sociopathic mercenary with the powers of a dark god and an overly edgy backstory. This will be a train wreck for the ages!
1. Stubbornness

**So...yeah.**

 **WELCOME TO SOMETHING THAT ISN'T ELDRITCH GAMER OR A BLADE BORNE TO KILL.**

 **..And everyone's gone. Welp, it's a good thing I make these fics because I find enjoyment in them like the FILTHY CASUAL I AM and not for popularity.**

 **Anyway, this story is going to be kind of confusing since a few crucial things before canon are changed. Also, I'm haven't read the Light Novel or watched the anime in YEARS. So, I'll be using the manga instead until I reach the end of that, then I'll start on the Light Novel.**

 **So, the idea for this fic was at the back of my mind for almost about a year and a half and it resurfaced and would not go away. Now here it is!**

 **Anyway, aren't GLAD this isn't ANOTHER Self-Insert again!?**

 **Also, this first chapter was inspired by o Jordinio 0's fanfiction,** **Maelstrom Blade Dancer!, give my dude some love!**

 **Chapter One: Stubbornness**

 **BGM: Ain't No Grave by Johnny Cash**

Fighting a war in the middle of nowhere.

Wasn't even his war in the first place. He was just a mercenary for hire, a nobody in this bloody field of bodies and sharp steel.

Black shoulder-length hair soaked in blood slightly invaded the vision of his blood red eyes. Despite only being sixteen he was pretty tall and well built for his age, being six foot two. All of the fighting had left his armor ruined, so took it off, leaving him shirtless. Dark, almost black, flame-like markings covered a good portion of his body and the left side of his head. Black pants, boots, and a glove covering his right hand were all he wore now, and in his hands was a large greatsword.

He was just a man sent to die for the goals of another. Just like everyone else here. Politics were a pain.

His name was Jack, just Jack. That was all the effort those bastards at the Instructional School took to name him. And just like all of the survivors of the destruction of the Instructional School he made use of the two of the few things he was good at.

Killing, and not dying. He was just too damn stubborn to die.

A soldier from the enemy side charged him, his blade aimed to slit Jack's neck. He dodged the slice, moving _just_ out of reach for the man's blade, but now he was at Jack's mercy. He swung his greatsword with one hand, decapitating the soldier.

A blade like that should have been too heavy for any normal human to swing with one hand, but for those abducted by the Instructional School, being human wasn't an option. They were killers, assassins, and if you couldn't survive the training you were useless.

Jack glanced at his blood covered sword, he scowled, it was chipped and dull in a quite a few places.

He threw the ruined blade at an incoming soldier, caving his face in with its blunt tip. Jack grabbed a less damaged sword that was stabbed into one of the many dead soldiers on the field.

With his "new" weapon, he jumped back into the fray. Jack was like a whirlwind of death, blood and body parts flew everywhere.

No one could keep up with him, the sight of his sheer brutality was a sight to behold. He was resourceful, whenever his current weapon became too broken to use he grabbed another one from his dead enemies.

"What kind of monster is he!?"

One of the soon to be dead fools shouted.

"He's not human, there's no way a human being can be this powerful without a Spirit."

"I-Is he immortal?"

Shouts of disbelief continued to rise as he slaughtered his way through the enemy forces. The voices were just white noise as he carved his way through the front lines.

" _What ridiculous claims,"_ Jack thought as he swung his blade expertly through a man's neck. " _I'm as mortal as everyone here."_

Jack's push forward was interrupted as a blast of ice was sent flying past his face.

He turned to who sent the icy blast his way.

She was a woman that seemed to be in her mid-twenties, hair tied up in a ponytail, wearing red armor. What caught Jack's attention was the blue blade in the hands that froze the air around her.

The sword was all he needed to know that she was an Elementalist.

An Elementalist was a pure maiden that had the privilege to make a contract with a spirit. With being contracted to a spirit. Spirits took on the forms of many things, could be an insect, could be a dragon, hell, they could be made out of rock or plant matter, but the rarest ones looked human.

" _Didn't know they brought Elementalists into this war, I'll have to get serious,"_ the mercenary concluded.

Black and red divine energy began to emanate from his body and his eyes gained an ominous red glow.

Before the woman could react, Jack moved faster than her eyes could follow and appeared right behind her. He stabbed his blade through her, severing her spine and impaling several internal organs.

"H-How…?" the poor woman asked as she coughed up blood. "There's… no way a… man can be an… Elementalist."

Jack ripped his sword out of the woman, she fell onto the ground, dead.

* * *

 _The blood-chilling screams of a child tore through the facility._

" _Amazing!" a man cried in glee and awe, he looked like some kind of mad scientist lab coat and all. "Simply remarkable!"_

 _The man's eyes were filled with maniacal joy. The target of his sight? A young child, a boy, just barely six years old, chained to the wall, roaring in utter agony._

 _The child's features weren't very visible. His black hair was matted against his head, weighed down by blood and sweat. The boy was entirely naked, though not much could be seen of his body due to the blood oozing out of his very pores and orifices._

 _The scientist laughed madly. "This is incredible!"_

 _His eyes stared intently at the whirlwind of pitch black power that roared throughout the room, the center point, the boy. It wasn't the black energy that made him unbelievably giddy. It was that he could see small bits of red mixed in with the black energy, almost like embers._

" _He isn't merely accepting and adapting to Solomon's power!" the scientist roared in laughter. "He's dominating it instead! The other subjects didn't even last a minute after being exposed to Solomon's energy! Yet this boy! He's been at this for nearly an hour! How can this be!? Does he have some kind of healing ability?"_

" _...No."_

 _The reply came from behind the scientist. It was an amused voice that made the scientist turn around in shock._

" _Master?" he questioned._

 _Behind him stood a very tall man whose body was concealed in a black cloak, his face covered by a white mask, the two black holes in the mask didn't even reveal his eye color._

" _The boy doesn't have any healing ability," the master explained. "Look at his eyes...that's no special power, this is pure willpower, he simply refuses to die."_

 _The scientist blinked in confusion when he heard the tone of respect in his master's voice, but did as he was told and looked at the boy's eyes._

 _Despite his body seemingly being torn apart from the inside out as Solomon's divine energy tore through his body creating divine energy pathways, the child's burning red eyes glared at them with murderous, animalistic rage._

 _The scientist could practically see the grin behind his master's mask._

" _With willpower like that, the boy might actually surpass Solomon himself."_

" _I REFUSE TO DIE HERE!" the boy shouted._

 _The energy around the boy stalled for a moment. Then it fully entered his body, the boy pulled against the chains, breaking them easily. An aura of black and red divine energy enveloped the child as its new master accessed his conquered power for the very first time._

 _As the last chain broke the child fell to the ground and passed out, his body pushed far past its limit._

" _Get the child the best medical treatment we have," the master demanded. "Do not let him die, and take his name out of the Cursed Armament Seal program. I have plans for this one."_

 _The master walked away without looking back._

* * *

 _Shing!_

"Ah!" Jack shouted in pain as his back flared in hot pain.

The mercenary growled and threw his blade into the face of the person who injured him. Another soldier dead.

Blue flames consumed the wound, causing Jack to grimace in pain. After a few seconds of burning, the flames went away showing the freshly made cut along his back was gone.

Jack sighed in relief as the fire faded. The flames healed, sure, but having your wounds _burn away_ hurt like a bitch, and he was _very_ well acquainted with fire.

Rubia Elstein, the Calamity Queen made sure of it.

To be fair, she wasn't trying to kill him, he just got caught up in the burning ruins of the Instructional School, and she _did_ heal him. The flame-like marks on his body weren't for show after all. So, as far as he was concerned, they were square.

Jack picked up another sword and began walking towards the enemy stronghold, he wasn't getting paid to sit on his ass after all.

The stronghold most likely had a few strong Elementalists in there. Troublesome, but work was work.

After almost everyone either left him for dead or abandoned him, this was all he had left to live for.

From the very day he was born, the Instructional School groomed him to be one of the most effective and efficient killers in the world.

This was his purpose in life.

To kill for others.

He'd sooner be damned than let anyone take that away from him.

* * *

It was done.

The enemy was dead.

They won.

Jack used his sword as support as he stood just outside the now concurred stronghold, countless bodies surrounding him, all various Elementalists and soldiers, and he did all of this without a Contracted Spirit. His breath labored as the cuts that littered his body began to be consumed by blue flames. Jack sighed as the flames dissipated and rolled his shoulders, smoke stubbornly clinging to his body.

A shadowy bird landed on his shoulder, it held a letter within its beak.

Jack took the letter out of the bird's beak,

" _Must be from Greyworth,"_ he concluded.

Greyworth Ciel Mais, the Dusk Witch. She was one of his more frequent employers, and one of the very few people trusted… even if she did make him crossdress when he was twelve.

Jack carefully opened the letter.

Seconds later, his eyes widened. "What in the unholy lordy loo!? Ren Ashbell is what!? She wants me to go where!?" he shouted in shock. "I sense some fucking shenanigans about!"

If it was revealed that the _real_ Ren Ashbell was actually cross-dressing male and that said male was now knee deep in bodies and a semi-insane sociopath, then the hearts of maidens across the world would be broken and everyone would be mortified beyond belief.

But he knew that Greyworth would laugh her ass off at such chaos, and that he'd be there laughing with her.

"Welp, fuck it," Jack said as he scratched the back of his head. "Areisha Spirit Academy, here I come."

 **Chapter End**


	2. The Job

**Chapter Two: The Job**

Jack walked through the forest, determination in his eyes.

His attire was different seeing as he wasn't in the middle of a war...again.

He was wearing a cloak and a long sleeve shirt, both black in color. It was his favorite color after all. A large greatsword was strapped to his back.

" _I'll make a straight shot for the Areishia Spirit Academy,"_ Jack decided as he walked. " _There will be no detours! No distractions! No temporary loss in forward momentum! No deviations from my intended pa-"_

Jack walked through some bushes only to see a naked redhead girl with long hair taking a bath. The admittedly cute girl turned around just in time to see our protagonist walk through the bushes.

The two stared at each other for a few seconds.

The girl looked very familiar to Jack.

"...R-Rubia?" he questioned, not knowing he said the name out loud.

The girl's eyes widened in shock at the name before they narrowed in anger at him.

"How do you know that name?" her voice was like a quiet growl.

Jack turned around so he wasn't looking at her naked form any longer.

"She saved my life a few years back and I've done a few jobs at her request," he admitted. "What's it to you?"

"She's my sister," the girl revealed, she was quiet for a few seconds. "A-Anyway, what is a man doing here!?"

"Listen, this was an accident, I didn't mean to walk in on you," Jack said trying to get this misunderstanding started out. "Can we just forget about this? I got better things to do than stare at a naked girl that looks like she hasn't even reached puberty yet."

"I'm...sixteen." the girl said, Jack could _feel_ the rage coming off her voice in waves.

"Ah, I see," he could have stopped there and apologized...but this is Jack we're talking about. "You are one gifted with legendary loli status."

"L-Loli!?" she shouted in a scandalized voice.

"Why yes," thought the girl couldn't see it, he had one very smug grin. "With a chest that flat what else would you be?"

"You peek on me, Claire Rouge while taking a bath, and insult me!?"

"Um...yes."

"Y-You...pervert!" though Jack couldn't see it, the red Spirit Seal on her hand began to glow. "Guardian of crimson blaze, keeper of undying hearth! Now is the time to abide by the blood contract, come forth and do my bidding!"

Jack turned around to see Claire with a whip that had a flaming tip.

He raised his arms in surrender. "Now, now, I may be a pervert, but I'm not a pedophile."

"I'LL TURN YOU TO CINDERS!" Claire screamed in rage as she began attacking Jack with her Elemental Waffe.

"Oh, god! _Anything_ but _cinders!_ " Jack did his best cheesy reaction voice, dodging everything to high hell.

"Stay still dammit!" she shouted.

"No, you must work for your burnt remains!"

As bad at her attempt at murder was, Jack was slightly impressed. To be able to materialize an Elemental Waffe at such a young age takes quite a bit of skill.

"You do know that you're _still_ naked, right?" Jack pointed out. "I can practically see everything. Actually, I _can_ see everything."

Claire froze for a second before shrieking, throwing her Elemental Waffe into the air, wrapping her arms around herself, then crouching in the water to keep her body hidden from Jack.

Unfortunately, she didn't account for the fact that her magic fire whip sliced the tree behind her in half and it was now about to fall on her.

 **BGM: Jeopardy Think Music**

" _Hmm, should I let her get crushed by a tree or not?"_ Jack debated in his head. " _On one hand, she's kind of cute and fun to tease. On the other hand, she tried to kill me. Decisions, decisions."_

Our protagonist, ladies, and gentlemen!

 **BGM END**

" _Fuck it, Rubia would be pissed if I let her die."_ Jack decided as he ran off to save her.

Just as the tree was about to crush Claire, Jack grabbed her and jumped out of the way, narrowly avoiding becoming pancakes.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked.

Claire groaned. "Yes."

"Good, now get off of me!" he exclaimed.

The two were in a rather provocative position with Claire on top of him. Claire's face turned a shade of red not yet categorized by mankind yet.

* * *

"Well, now that you're not trying to turn me to ashes like some kind of psychotic pyromaniac…"

"Hey!" Claire interrupted.

"...and you're properly dressed," he expertly ignored her yell. "Can you tell me where the Areishia Spirit Academy is?"

She was immediately on guard. "What does a pervert like you want with the Academy?"

Jack rolled his eyes and brought out the letter Greyworth sent him. "An old friend of mine called me over, Greyworth Ciel Mais."

Her eyes widened. "The headmaster?"

"Yeah, now can you tell me where the Academy is?"

"It's a two-hour walk from here all the way to the Academy."

Jack sighed. "Shit, that far."

"Listen, I have to go, try not to get lost again." and with that Claire began to walk off to god knows where.

"Hey!" Jack yelled as he began following her. "You didn't give me any directions dammit!"

"Why are you following me, you pervert?"

"Again, pervert I may be, but I have a name, you know?"

"And that name is?"

"Jack."

She raised an eyebrow. "Just...Jack?"

"Yeah."

"That's a bland name."

"Meh, I like it anyway. So, the hell are you doing out here?"

"I had just finished purifying myself for a Spirit Contract," she answered as the neared a cave.

"A Spirit Contract..." Jack glanced at his gloved right hand for a few seconds. "...I see."

The two arrived near the entrance of the cave, a mystic barrier was on the entrance.

"Wait, this is a shrine..." Jack said. "And with a barrier this strong, the Spirit here must be pretty powerful."

"This shrine here is said to be dedicated to the legendary holy sword, Demon Slayer."

"The Demon Slayer," Jack's eyes peered into the darkness of the cave. "The same one that defeated the Demon King Solomon?"

Jack knew pretty much everything there was to know about Solomon. After all, he was raised by what was practically a cult dedicated to worshiping him. As far as Jack was concerned, he had long surpassed that old nutcase.

"Supposedly, no Elementalist has contracted it successfully since the school was founded and even if it's not the real thing, it's really powerful."

Jack turned to Claire, a steely glint in his eyes. "You're already contracted with a rather powerful fire spirit, what do you need this one for?"

"Scarlet is a treasured partner of mine," her eyes narrowed into the darkness of the cave. "But what I need is power."

"Power?" Jack gave a dark chuckle. "I seen people do some horrible things for power."

Claire turned around and glared at Jack. "And how would you know that?"

Jack gave her a sweet smile that almost seemed twisted, it made her take a step back in fear.

"Claire, I'm a mercenary, I kill people for money," the redhead girl took another step back when he said that.

"Y-You've killed people!?" she exclaimed in a shrill voice.

"Yeah, been hired in wars all around the world," Jack said as his hand made contact with the barrier. "You'd be surprised what kind of stupid shit people start wars over."

"I-I see." Claire gulped.

"So, you gonna open this thing, or are you getting cold feet?"

"S-Shut up!"

Claire broke the barrier and began quickly walking deeper into the dark cave, Jack following close behind.

"Why are you still following me!?" Claire snapped.

"Because Rubia and Greyworth would be pissed if I let you die."

Claire glared at Jack with burning fury. "Are you doubting me!?"

"Yes."

His bluntness made Claire flinch.

"You're too green," he began. "It's always the proud, arrogant ones that end up dead first, and when someone pulls their ass out of the fire they'll start blaming others for their own mistakes."

Jack's smile grew wider as he saw Claire grit her teeth in rage.

"But by all means, prove me wrong...Elstein."

The moment the name left his mouth she turned and walked off deeper into the cave, Jack could see her knuckles turning white.

Jack shrugged. " _Might have taken that one a bit too far. Oh well, what can you do?"_

Soon enough, they arrived where the Demon Slayer was held, stabbed into a rather fancy looking pedestal.

Wordlessly, Claire made her way up to the sword and wrapped her hand around the hilt. "Noble spirit sealed within this old, holy sword," the sword began glowing. "Form a contract with me and recognize me as thine master. In turn, I will be thine scabbard."

Powerful gusts of wind blew everywhere forcing Jack to shield his eyes.

"Damn, that's quite the amount of divine energy. That's the real deal alright."

Claire continued her incantation. "I command thee. Form a contract with me!"

She pulled the sword out of the pedestal and raised it into the air.

"I took it out!" she declared, smiling brightly. "I got it out!"

Jack sighed. "Wait for it."

The glowing sword crumbled in Claire's hands and as the pedestal exploded in an intense surge of energy, sending Claire flying.

Jack ran towards Claire and caught her mid-air. "There it is. Told you this was out of your league, kid."

"Quiet you!" she snapped at him. "Put me down!"

"You're the boss," Jack smirked as he unceremoniously dropped Claire on the ground.

"Ow, why did you do that!?" Claire shouted.

Just then the Spirit, in the form of a radiant sword, flew down at high speeds through the place where Claire was in Jack's arms.

Jack looked at the sword stabbed into the ground. "Does that answer your question?"

Claire ignored him and stood up.

"It seems that we have a rebel here," Claire called out her Elemental Waffe, Scarlet. "I'll just break her."

"We should get out of here while it's still waking up," Jack suggested. "Let's go."

"No, you go ahead and leave by yourself. I'm going to take her on."

Though Claire couldn't see it, Jack smiled at her stubbornness.

"Oh, why do you care so much about that Spirit?"

"You wouldn't understand. I need power. I need a strong Spirit that won't lose to anyone."

"So even though the Demon Slayer refuses that be contacted to you, you still persist." Jack grinned. "Then show me that you're not all talk, Claire."

Claire took a deep breath. "Keeper of the Red Flame, watcher of the neverending furnace, I compel thee to follow out the contract of blood and appear before me!"

Claire brandished her whip and her Contact Spirit, a red cat with flaming ears and tail, appeared.

" _Must. Not. Make. Cat Puns."_ Jack struggled with himself internally.

"Let's begin!" Claire demanded. "Scarlet, bit her!"

Jack watched as the sword and the fire cat began to fight each other to the death. The two spirits fought for a bit before the Demon Slayer apparently had enough and emitted a high pitched sound that made both Jack and Claire grit their teeth. The sound also had to effect of stunning Scarlet in pain.

With the opening provided, the Demon Slayer stabbed through Scarlet.

"Scarlet!" Claire shouted in shock and worry as she rushed to her fire spirit.

She held onto Scarlet as the Spirit disappeared from her arms to much Claire's horror.

The sword spirit rushed Claire, intent to run the poor girl through.

 _Shink!_

A few droplets of blood hit Claire's face.

"Eh…?" she looked up a Jack speechless.

He held the Demon Slayer back with his left hand, the blade cutting deep into it.

"You've got some guts, Claire, I respect that," Jack said as the Demon Slayer struggled to get out of his grip. "But too much guts makes you bite off more than you can chew, which gets you killed."

Claire was too stunned to respond. She just looked at the man before her, holding off a legendary spirit with his bare hand.

"I told you before, you're too green," Jack reminded. "It's fully awakened now. I guess I'll take a stab at it myself. Not like I got any choice at this point."

"Noble spirit sealed within this old, holy sword. Form a contract with me and recognize me as thine master. In turn, I will be thine scabbard."

Claire stared at Jack in shock. "That's a Spirit Contract..."

"I command thee. Form a contract with me!" Jack finished.

After the words left his mouth, there was a huge flash of light. With that Jack's vision turned to black.

* * *

Jack groaned as he got up, intense pain throbbed through his head.

"Ah! Fuck!" he swore as he grabbed his head.

"Hey, are you okay?" he heard Claire ask him.

"Fuck no I'm not okay!" Claire flinched at his yelling. "That much foreign divine energy entering my body makes my head feel like I have the worse hangover in years."

"Hangover? You drink!?" Claire exclaimed.

"Depression does that to a man," Jack said blandly.

"A-Anyway, I thought you were dead!"

Jack looked at his left hand and saw a Spirit Seal on it. The seal was circular in shape as all Spirit Seals are, the image of a pair of swords crossing could be seen on it.

Jack scowled at the seal. "Almost wish I was."

"Why?" Claire asked.

"Why what?"

"Why is a male able to contract with a spirit? Answer me! Only Shrine Princesses can contract Spirits."

Jack felt like being an ass. "Push-ups, sit-ups, and plenty of juice."

"That's not an answer!" Claire snapped.

"And I don't feel like answering," Jack scowled. "Besides, I know another man that's able to make contracts with Spirits, bastard left me for dead."

"Another man able to make contacts with Spirits?" Claire asked surprised. "Look, I don't care if you don't want to answer me, but you're going to take responsibility for taking that Spirit away from me."

"Taking the Spirit away from you?" Jack repeated unamused. "Really?"

Claire pointed at Jack. "I want you to become my Contracted Spirit."

Without so much as the slightest indication, Jack swung his greatsword at Claire, stopping only when the weapon just barely made contact with the skin of her neck.

Claire's breath stopped dead in her mouth. She didn't even see him reach for his sword, much less swing it. An instant was all the man before her needed to kill her.

It was at that moment that Claire was reminded of just what kind of man Jack was. A trained killer for hire.

Jack's face was one of a _very_ unamused person. He was livid, his black and red divine energy started leaking out of his body in accordance to his rage.

"Claire, that was one of the most insulting, offensive things that anyone has _ever_ told me in years," he stated. "You know, if my upbringing didn't instill me with an _extraordinary_ level of restraint, I would have cut your fucking head off."

Claire began trembling out of fear, and because of the dark aura exuding off of Jack. The divine energy coming from him was like nothing she ever felt before, not in terms of sheer power, but the fact that it just felt... _wrong._

"Get one thing straight, Claire. You were going to die because you got too cocky and I saved your ass, you ungrateful little shit. The only reason I don't kill you where you stand is out of respect for your sister."

Jack removed his sword from Claire's neck and let out a frustrated sigh.

"I'm in no mood to deal with this shit today. I'm leaving."

Claire finally got her wits together. "W-Where do you think you're going?"

"To the academy, don't bother me anymore."

Jack began walking off, as far as he was concerned, he kept Greyworth waiting long enough.

* * *

Jack looked at the campus with contempt.

"So, this is the Areishia Spirit Academy?" he questioned. "It's fancy, I'll give it that. None of these damn pampered princesses would last five minutes on the battlefield."

Jack glanced behind him. Claire had been following him, she made no effort to hide, but he didn't comment on it. At least she didn't push that whole 'become my Contacted Spirit' bullshit anymore.

Jack glanced at the Spirit seal on his left hand. "You've got shitty taste in partners, you know that?"

He shook his head and entered the building. There were a lot of teenage girls in uniforms walking around, though that was little surprise, since Jack and...another male, were to only two Elementalists in the were. The rest were all exclusively female. And every single one of them was so...innocent, green, weak. Hell, even that failure Jio Inzagi could cause quite the bloodbath here if he put his mind to it.

All of the students stopped and stared at Jack, who was obviously a man and shouldn't have any business coming to an all-female school, especially one that trained Elementalists.

Not a single one of them dared to approach him. Though Jack understood why, he looked like some kind of dark knight with that greatsword of his. The black clothing and flame-like markings didn't help.

Eventually, Jack reached the top floor and stopped in front of Greyworth's office. He was about to knock on the door when…

"Headmistress, I can't accept this!" the voice of a young girl yelled so loudly that Jack could hear her clearly. "Why should we allow the likes of a man into the hallowed grounds of this sacred academy for princess maidens!?"

" _Quite the vocabulary that one."_ Jack joked in his head.

But that girl did get the gears in his head turning. Jack suddenly felt like the Blade Dance wasn't all that Greyworth called him here for.

"Because I said we need him here. Isn't that reason enough?" a much calmer voice replied.

That was definitely Greyworth. The power her _voice_ carried was still just as ridiculous as it was years ago.

"A-Are you suggesting that we lack the power to defend ourselves?"

"Of course not. I'm not belittling the power of your Sylphid Knights. However, that boy is special."

"You mean his ability to contract Spirits despite being male?"

"Well, that's more of an added benefit than anything."

"What do you mean by..."

Aaaaaaaand Jack had enough. He didn't really like gossip with him being the being subject.

Jack kicked open the door with a loud bang.

"Honey, I'm home!" he yelled as he walked in.

He was meet with the sight of a beautiful young girl around his age with blue hair tied into a ponytail and ruby eyes. She wore the same uniform as the students he had passed on the way here, but she wore a silver breastplate over her blouse.

"Insolent fool!"

She was bringing a sword down on his head. What fun!

Jack quickly brought out his greatsword and blocked her strike.

"A man?" she questioned upon seeing Jack.

"Rude much?" Jack pushed her blade back easily. "I arrived as expected and you attack me? That hurts," he patted where his heart was. "Right here."

She growled. "How dare you mock me! Stay right there, I'll turn you to marinated salmon!"

"Threatened with being turned into food, that's a first," Jack mused. "Also, why salmon specifically?"

She swung at Jack again but just like before, he blocked it with ease. Then he began pushing back.

The girl struggled against his blade as he applied further force, forcing her to her knees. "H-How...are you..."

"Jack, stop." the other person in the room commanded.

"M'kay." Jack stopped and set his sword against the wall.

The other person turned to the blue-haired girl. "Ellis, sheath your sword. You were attacking my personally invited guest."

"H-Headmistress! I was just…!"

"Ellis Fahrengart, are you going to make me say the same thing twice?"

The thinly veiled threat caused the girl known as Ellis Fahrengart to shiver and reluctantly put her sword away.

Jack walked past Ellis as she glared at him.

Ash grey hair, her eyes were the same color as her hair behind the small spectacles staring at him, a voluptuous figure partially obscured by the desk she was sitting behind.

No doubt about it. The Dusk Witch, the Ordesia Empire's strongest Elementalist, the former Number One of the Numbers, the twelve strongest Elementalists in the Empire, the contractor of an Archdemon-Class Spirit, Earl Void, on of Solomon's 72 Spirits, and the one who taught Jack the Absolute Blade Arts, the same fighting style that she herself had created and perfected during the Ranbal War.

Greyworth Ciel Mais herself, sat behind that desk in front of him, struggling not to laugh at Jack's ridiculous entrance.

"Greyworth, it's been nearly a year," Jack said as he stood before his former mentor. "You haven't changed a bit."

Greyworth smirked. "You, on the other hand, have changed quite a bit, Jack."

Jack smiled warmly. "Yeah, hit my growth spurt a week after you gave me that last job."

"Jack? Then this is..." the girl muttered as she watched her headmistress and the mercenary interact.

Greyworth got up from her seat and stood up in front of Jack, she only came up to his chin. She began tugging at the collar of his shirt.

"Still wearing nothing but black I see," she said blandly. "At least you actually make the color work."

"Greyworth, black is the _absence_ of color," Jack stated. "I'm not wearing any colors at all. I'd think you'd know this."

Greyworth deadpanned at him. "Shut up and take the compliment dammit."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Fine."

"H-Headmistress, I can't possibly leave you alone with this...this man! If he were to direct his lust towards you then…!"

Greyworth let out a rather frustrated sigh.

"Ellis Fahrengart," Jack knew that Greyworth had just about run out of patience. "Are you going to make me say it again?"

"I-I'm sorry!" Ellis cried out and ran out of the room hastily, slamming the door behind her.

Jack snorted. "Still as bad with kids as ever."

"You and Ellis are the same age, you're still young, unlike me," Greyworth said in mock despair.

Jack hugged her and kissed her cheek. "Oh lighten up, you and Restia are the reason I prefer older women."

She sighed contently, leaning into his embrace. "Ah, you truly do know how to make this old soul feel young again."

Jack rolled his eyes at Greyworth's teasing. "I swear, you and Restia were a pair of devious cougars."

"Ack!" an invisible arrow labeled 'Devious Cougar' pierced her back.

* * *

At a cafe in the town close to the Areishia Spirit Academy, the dark Spirit, Restia, sat with her new partner in crime, Rubia - who was in disguise - discussing their next plan of action.

Suddenly, an invisible arrow labeled 'Devious Cougar' pierced her back.

"Ack!" the dark Spirit yelled in pain.

"Resita, are you okay?" Rubina asked worriedly.

The 'will' of the Darkness Elemental Lord, Ren Ashdoll struggled to form a coherent sentence.

"W-Words...that...pierce...the soul."

"Wah…?"

Before Rubia could finish, many more invisible arrows pierced. All labeled with various insults such as '1000+ Year Loli', 'Mankind's Oldest Cougar', 'Old as Dirt' and '50 Vol. Biography'. But the one that finally put her down pierced her heart, It said: Cradle Robber.

Restia collapsed onto the table with a comically despairing expression.

Rubia poked the poor Spirit a few times, very much confused.

"Okay...that was weird - Ack!"

Without warning, an invisible arrow pierced her too, 'Psychotic Pyromaniac Bitch' was labeled on it.

* * *

"...Even then, I still love Restia to bits." Jack finished.

Greyworth gave a strained smile. "Your words are as cutting as ever."

"I've had practice," he said proudly.

"...I noticed." Greyworth sighed, removing herself from his arms and sat behind her desk. "So, you still haven't moved on from her, have you?"

Jack didn't say anything, he just looked at the floor. His face filled with melancholy.

"Jack..."

"She was all I had left Greyworth," he said solemnly. "She gave me purpose, a goal, now she's gone. I was helpless as that... _thing_ consumed her. I've got nothing left to live for now."

"Then why are you still alive?"

It was a simple question. But to Jack, it was most complicated one. Mostly because he didn't know why.

In a way, one could conclude the young man going from war to war around the world was less for money and more of a way of looking for a place to die. Even then, he didn't know why he was alive.

Maybe it was fate.

Maybe the gods themselves like to see him suffer.

Maybe, just maybe, some small part in the back of his head believed that Restia was alive.

Who knows, maybe she was alive. She might be searching for him, somewhere out there. If she is then why the hell is he here doing some damn job!? He should go out there right now and…!

Jack entertained the thought no longer.

The Instructional School taught him many horrible things. Being a delusional idiot wasn't one of them.

Restia _died_ three years ago. To Jack, that was an unarguable _fact._ He saw it with his own eyes after all.

The otherworld darkness spewing out of where Volcanicus was after Jack 'killed' him. Reaching out for Resita as they were both being consumed by it. The now freed Volcanicus pulling him out and teleporting them both to Astral Zero. Jack staring at nothing in shock as he began processing what just happened to the woman he loved. The tears and mournful screams as the reality of the situation crashed down on him.

He remembered it all so vividly.

"I don't know," Jack answered Greyworth. "And frankly, I've stopped caring why. I am a tool born for destruction."

Greyworth grit her teeth. "No one is born for anything, Jack."

"And yet even you and Restia of all people couldn't change me," he stated coldly, he rubbed his temples and sighed. "Enough with the past already," Jack took out the letter Greyworth sent him. "What the actual fuck is going on here?"

Jack tossed the letter onto the desk.

"You've pulled some dumb shit in the past, but this takes the fucking cake."

Greyworth's teasing demeanor was completely gone. "What's written in the letter is true..."

Her next words made Jack's blood boil.

"Your Contract Spirit, Restia Ashdoll is alive."

Jack's Dark divine energy began leaking out of his body as he calmly leaned over her desk his face only a foot away from her. She clearly saw the pure fury in his glowing red eyes. The aura of darkness around him cause a very wrong and oppressive feeling to spread throughout the room.

If it fazed Greyworth, she didn't show it.

"I thought was just went over this already," he said in an eerily calm voice. "Restia. Is. _Dead._ "

"I thought _you_ would have remembered, Jack. Witches don't lie."

"Often times they tell no truths either." he snarked. "Now, I'll ask again. The fuck is going on here?"

"I'm not lying here, Jack, she's alive."

He was tempted, very much tempted to believe her. But…

"Let's say I believe you," Jack began "Why didn't she look for me? Or at the very least try to contact me through you?"

"No clue," she admitted right away. "I know as much about her motives as you do."

" _A witch will never tell lies."_ Jack sighed, the dark around gone, he just looked so tired, his eyes seemed far older than they should be.

"Where..." he struggled to get the words out, not believing how delusional the question he wanted to ask was. "Where is she?"

She brought out a small stack of papers. "Somewhere in the nearby town, that's as much as I know. Think of that bit of info as your advance for this job."

"The Blade Dance, right?" Jack flipped through the papers. "Biography and an admission form, you want me to enroll here?"

"This year's Blade Dance is team-based, no exceptions at all. There are plenty of students in this school, and they're contracted to an assortment of Spirits. While most of them are weak, I'm sure you can pick out a few gems from the crowd."

Jack shook his head. "Their arms would break like twigs if they swung a sword seriously."

"Regardless, this is the hand you're dealt with for this job."

"Fucking hell. So, give me the details."

"So, you really haven't heard, have you? _She_ has announced her intention to participate in the upcoming Blade Dance, and she's representing the Alphas Theocracy."

"One, fuck that place. Two, fuck my life, and fuck that imposter."

"Yes, someone laying claim to the name Ren Ashbell is participating in the Blade Dance, and she's bringing a dark _female_ Spirit. You are the only one capable of defeating The Strongest Blade Dancer."

Jack's eyes narrowed. "When is the Blade Dance starting?"

"Two months, more than enough time for you to make an adequate enough team."

"Where will I be staying?" he questioned. "Since you're enrolling me here, I doubt you're letting stay at some inn in the town."

"I tasked Ellis with providing you a place to stay."

Jack gave Greyworth a bland look. "You gave the person who seems to have the greatest animosity towards me being here the task of giving me a place to live?"

The Dusk Witch froze for a few seconds. He practically _hear_ the gears turning in Greyworth's head.

"There's a small house in the woods a little off campus. I'll bring you to it after you're done with class for the day."

"Sounds good to me."

"Now that we have that settled, sign that form for me. I had your uniform made for you in advance, and _no_ , it's not in black." she pointed to a door on the side of the room. "You change in there."

Jack sighed as he got up. "Fine. I'm not even going to question how you know my exact size clothing."

"It's a woman's secret," Greyworth said with a smile.

"Shut up."

* * *

Jack walked out of the room wearing the male version of the academy's uniform.

Greyworth smirked. "I knew you'd look good in them."

Jack pouted as he looked at his new, very much white uniform.

"It ain't my preferred color, but it'll do."

"Now then, Ellis is waiting for you outside. She'll escort you to your new class. We'll talk later, Jack."

Just before Jack reached the door, Greyworth spoke up once more time.

"One more thing, Jack. I came across your old...friend...Kamito."

The name made Jack stop dead in his tracks.

"Seems like he was looking for you."

All was silent for a few seconds.

Jack turned his head, just enough for Greyworth to see one of his eyes. That single eye held a gaze colder than ice.

"Really now? He can burn for all I care."

With that said, Jack opened the door and exited Greyworth's office.

The Dusk Witch sighed and rubbed her temples.

"This is all looking up to be one big cluster fuck of epic proportions."

 **Chapter End**

 **Review Responses:**

 **gianpaulovillanueva1: Damn right it's a new one!**

 **skelly4128: It will be glorious.**

 **Lotisman: After a few more updates to my stories, more Bard is coming.**

 **Thedarr24 and Draconis23: Places and Memes that you can't POSSIBLY imagine!**

 **DrackNath: too bad, it's time to lewd the sword loli.**

 **Cyrus the Reader: Places!**

 **RogueShadow222: Ah, good, the meme cult is starting as planned.**

 **PassiveNox: Thanks.**

 **MaskedRiderEnzo: Things in this story are going to get REAL fucked.**

 **Scoolio: Um…#420YOLOBLAZINGSWAG?**


	3. The Good, The Bad, The Tsunderes

**Chapter Three: The Good, The Bad, The Tsunderes**

The tension in the air was thick as Ellis saw Jack leave the Headmistress's office, now in a male version of her school uniform.

His hands were in his pockets, his posture was stiff, the scowl on his face was telling, and she swore that she could faintly see some kind of dark mist coming off of him.

He took a deep breath and let out a deep sigh. He just looked so… tired.

" _What in the world did the Headmistress tell him to put him in such a bad mood?"_ Ellis asked in her head.

"Why are you just staring at me?" Jack asked suddenly.

"N-Nothing! The Headmistress ordered me to escort you to your class, so p-please follow me!" She stuttered out as she snapped to an awkward salute before turning around sharply and walking down the hallway at a fast pace.

"...The hell's her problem?"

She heard Jack muttered under his breath, much to her embarrassment.

Jack obediently followed her at a more relaxed pace, but still fast enough to keep up with her.

Ellis used the walk to sort out her thoughts.

This man had bruised her pride as one of the Sylphid Knights, the peacekeepers of Areishia Spirit Academy. He rudely kicked opened the door and walked in like he owned the place and had the nerve the call _her_ rude. And then he easily defeated her in swordplay with only _one_ arm. He had the Headmistress's respect, the two treat each other like old friends. And on top of all that, he was a _man_ with the ability to form contracts with Spirits.

Just who in the world was this crass, rude, man.

"Um… if you don't mind me asking, how do you know the Headmistress?" Ellis asked meekly.

Jack blinked. "Hm? Oh, Greyworth? Ah, that takes me back."

He ran a hand through the left side of his long dark hair, smiling nostalgically.

Ellis noted that the flame-like marking as his face didn't stop at his hairline, those markings weren't normal tattoos.

"We first met about four years ago, a few months after I discovered my ability to form contracts with Spirits. I apprenticed under her for about a year before I moved on and started doing mercenary work."

Ellis raised an eyebrow. He went into mercenary work?

There weren't many wars on this continent. So, at most he'd have been hired as a bodyguard or fight off a random groups of bandits. But he could have also been hired to take care of any out of control Spirits due to his status as a male Elementalist.

"The Headmistress taught you?"

Jack nodded. "Yeah, me and a girl my age."

"A girl What was she like?"

"Well, she couldn't handle Greyworth's teasing very well. Seeing those two bickers among each other was a pass time I hold near and dear to my heart. Haven't seen her in three years though. But, you should know her. When I was traveling all over the world looking for work, I heard she became pretty famous."

Ellis tilted her head in confusion. "Famous? It's not really ringing any bells. Who is she?"

"Ren Ashbell."

 _Thud!_

In that single moment, Ellis tripped over thin air and fell face first into the floor. The blue haired girl immediately recovered and got up in his face.

"Ren Ashbell!? You mean _that_ Ren Ashbell!? The winner of the previous Blade Dance, the Stronger Blade Dancer, Ren Ashbell!?"

Ellis damn near _screamed_ each question. She had sparkles in her eyes, and her voice was so shrill and feverish that it was almost like a screech.

"Uh… Yeah, but I haven't seen her in about three years. I take it you're a fan of her's?"

Jack's face was set in a stiff smile, almost like he realized he stepped on some kind of landmine.

"Of course! Not a single Elementalist in the world doesn't admire her! Her elegance! Her beauty! Her chivalry! Her technique! Every part of her is absolute perfection! She is what every girl aims to emulate!" Ellis didn't even stop to breathe.

Jack gulped in what appeared to be slight fear.

Ellis's mind ran a mile a minute.

He personally knew and trained alongside _Ren Ashbell_ herself. No wonder Jack beat her in swordsmanship so easily. But he was so different compared to Ren Ashbell!

"H-Hey, between the two of you, which one is stronger?" Ellis suddenly asked.

"Um, I'd say we're pretty even, but from what Greyworth told me, she's been getting a bit rusty. I guess I'm the strongest out of the two of us, I guess. Our spars back in the day usually went either way..."

"I-I see!"

" _I-In that case, recruiting him for my team would definitely be a great boon."_

If Ellis could get Jack on her Blade Dance team, then she had no doubt that they would be able to mop the floor with most of the competition.

"Miss. Fahrengart, aren't you supposed to be showing me to my class?" Jack said, snapping her out of her thoughts.

The girl in question abruptly stopped all movement as she realized that she had completely forgotten her conduct.

She cleared her throat. "M-My apologies for losing my composure. I couldn't help but get excited when you said you knew the person I admire."

"D-Don't worry, it's cool."

"Again, my apologies. Please follow me, the classrooms are this way." Ellis said before hurriedly continuing on her way down the hallway, evidently still embarrassed by the way she lost her cool.

* * *

" _Not to self: Never, EVER, bring up any connection I have to my alter ego… EVER!"_

Jack damn near swore he saw his _life_ flash before his eyes due to just how starstruck Ellis was just now.

He never really paid attention to whatever fame his alter ego had gathered, but if this was any indication, these girls were fucking crazy over Ren Ashbell. Either way, he had a strong argument as to way his fighting style would be incredibly similar to Ren Ashbell's.

Now all that was left was to ponder the pros and cons of revealing that _he_ was actually Ren Ashbell after everything was said and done.

Pros: It would be hilarious.

Cons: Literally _everything else_.

Honestly, it was worth it in his mind.

The rest of the walk to the classroom was made in awkward silence, the events of Ellis's… episode still fresh in Jack's mind.

"We're here." Ellis suddenly announced, stopping in front of a large double door with intricate carvings on it.

"This is the Raven Class. It's infamous as a class for extraordinarily problematic students. I'm not sure why, but the Headmistress saw fit to place you in this class, even though you're her apprentice..."

"It's fine. I suppose this is payback for the time I tried to take her head off with a cannon."

Ellis turned to Jack in shock. "You did what!?"

"In my defense, she made me crossdress as a maid while I was her apprentice. As far as I'm concerned, one cannon wasn't enough."

"How in the world did you get a cannon!?"

Jack looked off to the side. "...I know a guy. Anyway, thank you for showing me my class, Miss. Fahrengart."

"I… you… ugh..." Ellis sighed. "If you have any problems, feel free to find me in the Weasel Class one floor above, or in the Sylphid Knights' headquarters in the courtyard. It's the building that looks like an old cathedral."

"You got it."

And with that Ellis walked away briskly, muttering something that sounded along the lines of 'Ren Ashbell's fellow apprentice.'.

" _Honestly, if she told me she was in Raven Class, I wouldn't be surprised. Problem child fits her to a T."_

Jack sighed and walked into the room. Looking inside the large auditorium classroom, no one was there. During this time everyone was out. Probably in practical training outside in the training field area.

At that moment Jack heard something move speedily through the air.

He quickly raised up his arm, protecting his neck just in time to stop a whip from coiling around his throat. Though his arm was now a captive to the whip instead.

Jack sighed. "Ugh, not this chick again."

"Jack!"

Without looking, Jack tugged at the whip with his wrapped arm… hard.

"Eeek!" with a shrill cry, Claire tumbled into his field of vision.

"What is it, Firecracker?"

"Firecracker!?" Claire yelled as she got up from the ground

"Yep."

She growled, her eyebrow twitching. "You have some nerve for trying to escape me despite being my contracted Spirit."

Jack rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I thought I made myself clear about that matter, you idiot."

"I don't care, you stole the Spirit I was going to make a contract with, now you hav-"

"Correction, I saved you from the Spirit you pissed off, now you're in my debt."

Claire's shoulders slumped down as it finally sunk in that Jack was right.

"Fine. I'll admit it. You did help me out back there."

Jack smiled. "There now was that so ha-"

"I admitted it, so make a contract with me!"

Jack stared at Claire blankly. "Not even if it meant saving the world, Firecracker."

Claire visibly deflated, Jack could practically see the rain cloud over her head.

"...But I admitted it."

"That doesn't excuse your poor behavior."

Claire gave Jack a hopeful look. "Can… can you at least tell me why my sister did what she did?"

He sighed. "Don't expect to get any clear answers, she made me swear secrecy on damn near everything."

"J-Just tell me what you can… please."

"Well, she had her reasons, it wasn't for something dumb like power. To a certain extent, I agree with _why_ she did what she did. But now she's so dead set on it that she's blinded herself to the long-term consequences of it."

"Do you know where she is?" She asked meekly.

"Probably Alphas Theocracy, call it a gut feeling."

"...Thank you." She said softly.

Jack looked into Claire's eyes.

He knew she had been put through some shit due to her sister's actions.

Claire didn't even know _why_ her sister stole the strongest flame spirit, Laevateinn, which sparked all of the unfortunate events in her life.

The Elemental Lord of Fire burnt down everything related to the Elstein family's territory. Her mother and father were thrown into the Balsas prison, and if it wasn't for Greyworth, she wouldn't even have her spirit, Scarlet, now.

That pride of her's, it was fake, a mask to hide her emotions and thoughts under false pride and haughtiness. Easily breakable.

Jack ruffled Claire's hair. "Don't mention it, Claire."

He'd cut her some slack, for now anyway.

"By the way..."

Claire's face got closer, looking rather displeased.

"Sometime ago, you were speaking with the knight group's Ellis Fahrengart, _you seemed to be getting along well with her_. What does that mean?"

"She was my guide to class, Greyworth had me transfer to the academy."

Claire blinked in confusion then finally took notice of the uniform he now wore.

"But you're a man!"

"Yep, a _male_ Elementalist." Jack raised his left hand, showing the white seal on it.

The seal contrasted the dark markings on his hand.

Claire looked almost hopeful. "Are you in Raven class too?"

"Yeah."

Claire seemed happy, too happy. Her smiling face would have charmed anyone that was unaware of how rotten she could act at times.

"Well, since it's turned out so favorably, I'll give you another chance."

Jack chopped her on the head with his hand.

"Ow!" Claire cried as she rubbed the top of her head. "What was that for!?"

"For being an idiot, no means no. I'm not becoming your Contract Spirit."

Claire hung her head, almost looking like she had lost all hope. Jack thought she was just about ready to cry.

He sighed, he hated seeing girls cry. And as much as she pissed him off, the last thing he wanted to do make her cry. Especially since she was related to someone he actually cared about.

The image of the lover he previously thought dead flashed through his mind.

Her porcelain complexion, her long lustrous black hair, her dusk-colored eyes that just seemed to draw his soul into them. He glanced at his gloved right hand. Even after three years, he still remembered her so very clearly.

She taught him more than blood and violence. She taught him more than being just a simple tool. She taught him to be _better_.

Jack knew he might regret his next words, but he was willing to throw caution to the wind at this point.

He put his hand on Claire's head and gently rubbed the place he chopped her.

Her ruby eyes looked back into his gloomily.

He gave her a small smile. "I'm not willing to be your Contracted Spirit, but I wouldn't mind being friends."

Claire's eyes widened and her cheeks turned scarlet.

"You would… I mean… I..." she stammered.

Claire looked away with an annoyed frown, her cheeks still flushed red.

"...I wouldn't mind that." She said softly.

* * *

Jack rose up onto the platform, causing some quiet murmurs within the classroom.

It seems that rumors of him, a male Elementalist, had transferred to the academy had already spread. But since none of the girls in the academy get to interact with males, much less a boy their own age. Considering that they spend most of their time with their Spirits, beings that do not obey the same logic that humans do, it was no wonder that he was given stares filled with anxiety, curiosity, and fear.

Not like the flame markings on him helped in that regard.

"That's… a male Elementalist!? The rumors were true!?"

"H-He's actually very handsome… even with the odd tattoos on him. I thought he would have a more demonic appearance..."

"Y-Yeah, almost like some kind of dark knight, and his long hair makes him look so cool..."

"He's so tall..."

"D-Don't be fooled! Don't forget what our books said! All men are actually perverted beast deep down!"

"I heard that he was seen flirting with Ellis Fahrengart."

"Eh, really!? That super-serious captain of the Sylphid Knights!?"

Jack looked exceedingly uncomfortable at the many whispers, this was so far out of his comfort zone it wasn't even funny.

Thrown into a school filled with nothing but hormonal teenage girls was never something he'd imagine having to deal with. It was like throwing a juicy steak to a pack of starving wolves, and he wasn't allowed to fight back against said wolves. He'd rather be in the front lines of a war again, at least that way he could deal with his problems by stabbing it.

But no, instead, he was stuck in a classroom with 15 girls eyeing him like he was from outer space.

None of them seemed particularly powerful though. He doubted many of them had actually even managed to manifest their Elemental Waffe yet. Only Claire and that girl with blonde hair in the back row seemed to be at that level. By that standard, Jack already considered them a good deal stronger than the rest of the class.

"Quit your chirping and be quiet! Do you lot want to lose credits?"

The professor in charge, Freya Grandol, shouted, slamming the clipboard that had the class list on it on her desk, silencing the constant chattering.

Freya Grandol was a woman in her mid-twenties, with long black hair, wearing a pair of black rimmed glasses. She was dressed in a dark grey suit with a long sleeved white robe on top of it.

"Hey, introduce yourself." Freya said to him.

Jack took a step forward, his best poker face, his posture straightened up, hands held behind his back with his shoulders square.

He had entered his "mercenary" personality.

He created this for dealing with shitty, arrogant nobles, during jobs. And for showing respect to his commanding officers in whatever war he was in at the time.

Good for dealing with assholes on the job and good for showing respect, his swiss army knife of social interaction if you will.

"Hello, my name is Jack… just Jack. I am sixteen years old. I am a former mercenary who apprenticed under the tutelage of the Headmistress, Greyworth Ciel Mais at a young age, alongside Ren Ashbell. As you can see, I am a male Elementalist. Pleased... to... meet... you."

Why were they all just staring at him with wide eyes? The classroom grew so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Jack's mind came to a crashing halt as he went over what he said in his head.

" _Aw… fuck!"_ he cursed in his head. " _I forgot to keep a lid of that part of the backstory!"_

"He knows Ren Ashbell!?"

"...He trained with The Strongest Blade Dancer herself!?"

"What kind of relationship did they have!?"

"Maybe they're lovers!"

"...H-How indecent!"

"He really does give off the impression of a dark knight!"

"Anyone related to Ren Ashbell can't be anything like a demon king..."

"I-I think I may have fallen for him!"

"And he looks so aloof, doesn't it make you want to hug him!?"

Jack's mouth was slightly agape as the class of girls fawned over him. He was prepared for condescending and hateful glares, not high-pitched squealing and looks of adoration.

" _I would do fucking_ _ **anything**_ _if it meant getting out of this situation!"_ the mercenary shouted in his head.

"Don't worry," Freya whispered. "They're just curious about a boy their age. Though, you did get them all excited by mentioning Ren Ashbell. There's not a single girl in this school that doesn't admire The Strongest Blade Dancer."

"...My gods, what have I done?" Jack muttered in horror.

Soon enough the girls started gathering around him like a swarm asking questions about himself and Ren Ashbell.

"Do you know Ren Ashbell's favorite food?"

"Um… she really liked mangos. She got me into trying it once, they're really good, I guess."

"Where exactly is your home?"

"I… Uh… I travel around a lot, so I don't really any permanent home."

"What are your three sizes?"

"No! What are Ren Ashbell's three sizes!?"

Jack groaned. " _If there is a merciful God in this world, he will end me right now."_

He waited… and waited… and waited.

The mercenary silently gave into despair as no divine intervention would free him of his fate.

Freya snorted at the panicked reactions of her newest student. It was looking up to be an interesting year.

 **Chapter End**

 **Review Responses.**

 **Lord Blackwing 17: PUNS FOR THE PUN GOD! As much as I like trashy harem, Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance is especially trashy. By all means, go for it!**

 **DrackNath: JUST TRY IT COPPER! Kamito in canon is a fucking doormat.**

 **Scoolio: ALRIGHT, LET'S DANCE! (Takes out HF Blade as Metal Gear Rising OST plays in the background)**

 **PassiceNox: The source material is pretty trash honestly.**

 **KadinaruDess: Na, she's still a loli.**

 **superpierce: Maybe next chapter… I don't know?**

 **Alrarora: We didn't start the fire, but it has been burning since the world's been turning.**

 **Saberfang Orcalodon: Sharp Cheddar?**

 **Onishin Tsukitenshi: This isn't one of my main fics, so updates will be pretty slow.**

 **ice cream of the gods: To each their own, I guess. But I'm not going to stop writing my characters the way I want to write them.**

 **0 Jordinio 0: Thanks for stopping by, my dude! This story was inspired by your Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance crossover after all.**

 **Infinite Zero9: Sorry it ain't Bards.**


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